


Breakout

by st_jimmy_987



Series: Gemstuck AU [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Fighting, Fusions, Gen, Steven Universe AU, gem au, i guess spoilers if you haven’t seen Steven universe??, ikimaru’s gemstuck au, the episode where Peridot and Jasper are introduced
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 19:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18453197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/st_jimmy_987/pseuds/st_jimmy_987
Summary: John’s been captured and separated from his Gems.





	Breakout

**Author's Note:**

> In honor of 4/13, I finally post this thing that I’ve been holding onto forever. This is meant to be a series, based off of certain episodes of Steven Universe, but we’ll see how well that goes.
> 
> Thanks to ikimaru for letting me use her character ideas.
> 
> Thank you guys for reading, and enjoy!!

John sat up with a gasp, his hand going to the side of his face reflexively. The action made pain flare up, and he winced away from himself, then frowned in confusion. There wasn't much he could remember that would give him a reason to wake up with this sort of pain and disorientation. He touched his face a little bit more gingerly, pressing down on the outside of where the pain began; it started on his cheek, just under his eye, which felt a little bit swollen on the side. John opened both eyes as wide as they could go, but his left eye wouldn't open at all.

There was a dull thumping noise that was getting both repetitive and irritating. Getting shakily to his feet, John leaned a little against the wall and tried to get his bearings.

It was a plain room, maybe a light green color. There was nothing in it; not a bed, a chair, not even a blanket. It was cold, and John hugged himself tightly. There were three walls and a space that looked like he could go out through. The only problem with it was that it was giving off a humming noise, which meant that there was something blocking the way. He'd had enough experiences with Dirk’s tinkering to know that it wasn't necessarily a good idea to get near humming machinery, let alone humming machinery where he couldn't exactly see what was humming.

He couldn't stay in here all day, though. John didn't know where he was at, and the idea that the blue Gems- - -

Blue Gems! John's eyes widened as much as he could widen them as he remembered. That's right! They'd been on Earth, and had to evacuate the city because they were going to be visited by Alternian Gems. Karkat had managed to get a message to them and tell them. Which meant that they'd taken him hostage. And Dirk, Jake, and Roxy were either worried about him, or they'd been taken too. The blue Gem had said something about Rebels, and she’d mentioned his mother.

She thought he was his mother?

Shaking his head, John got up and strode over to the only exit to his room. If he squinted, he could kind of see the electrical currents flowing. He glanced at his hand curiously, then reached out and poked it. The electric current parted around his hand, making tingles run up his arm. It caused him to shiver, but it didn't hurt him at all. John rushed through, and got through harmlessly. His head twitching just a little bit, John looked down the hallways before deciding to go left.

He slipped off his shoes, holding them in one hand and running down the hallway he'd decided on.

John almost ran past the only other active cell on his floor, four cell blocks down. Sliding to a stop on the metal floor meant that he passed it, and John had to run back in order to see who was in it.

It was a little Gem, just a little bit smaller than John and red, curled up and slamming his hands on the floor. The banging noise, slightly dulled because of the distance between them, was much louder now that he was outside his cell. John made a face, wanting to say hello but not wanting to get yelled at or, worse, caught again.

“Hey!” The decision was made for him because the red Gem jumped to his feet, staring at him incredulously. He had red eyes, no pupils in them just like Karkat’s were when he was summoning his lava, and a pale complexion with red horns sticking out of his head; their shape looked vaguely familiar, but at the moment the halfling couldn't place them. John jumped backwards, glancing down the hallways to make sure nobody was coming down them to check on them. “How did you get out?”

“It's easy!” John reached out to help him, but stopped just before he touched the barrier. There was a nagging voice in the back of his mind, one that sounded suspiciously like Roxy. Wait a minute, it said, this is an unfamiliar Gem. Is it Alternia’s? He shot the little Gem a suspicious look, pulling back just a bit. “Wait, why should I let you out?”

The lights flickered in response, and the red Gem looked around wildly.

“Please!” He said loudly. “That's Sodalite, he's in trouble! He needs help, let me out!”

“Is Sodalite a friend of yours?” John asked curiously. He put his hand back. “I'm looking for my friends too. Do you know where they might be?”

“Yeah, but I can't do anything while being stuck here!” The red Gem slammed his hands on the barrier and a hissing noise interrupted the humming. He yelled in pain, yanking his hands back and cradling them by his chest. The lights flickered again, shorter this time, and the red Gem let out a moan that didn't seem to have anything to do with the pain radiating up his arms. He looked up at John, a pleading expression on his face. “I can help you, I swear. Just let me out so I can find Sodalite!”

“All right, fine.” John smiled comfortingly, sticking both of his arms underneath the current. The red Gemling crawled under, standing and cracking his back. Then he looked down the halls on either side, his brow furrowed.

Without a second thought, he took off down the hall John had just come down from. He ignored John’s call, sliding to a stop in the middle of a circular room. Halls branched out in four different directions, and there was a window to the outside that spanned the wall; they'd found the edge of the ship. John nearly crashed into him, but his protest was cut off as the lights went out again. It wasn't as dark, due to the window, but the darkness made the smaller Gem whine. The red Gem glowered, spinning in a circle as he tried to figure out what hallway to go down now.

John saw the window and, out of curiosity, slid over to it.

“Whoa!” John pressed his face against the glass, ignoring how it made his glasses press into his face. Earth was below him, spinning lazily as they flew away from it. He turned to the red Gem, pointing. “Did you see that? We’re off of Earth!”

“Not the time, kid!” He growled, stamping his foot. Keeping one eye on the temperamental little Gem, John glanced down at Earth and bit his lip. What was going on at home? They’d left Earth; did the people go back to the beach when they saw the ship take off? Jade wasn't home, it sounded like. And his dad knew had gone back to help the Gems fight. Which meant that down there, his dad was probably worried sick about him. Jade was probably panicking, if she'd gotten his voicemail yet. Maybe even Bunny was worried, if he had a real heart in his cyborg body and could feel actual emotions for him.

“Let's try going down this way!” John said, turning away from the window and forcibly putting everyone from his mind. He couldn't be worried about them right now; after all, they were safe on Earth. His Gems, they were missing at this very moment. He wasn't even sure they were on the ship with him, John was just hoping they were. And he was the one in danger of being transported light years away from home.

He walked ahead of the red Gem, tiny feet pattering quickly against the metal floor as he followed. John was about to open his mouth and ask what the Gem’s name was, but something caught their attention at the same time at the end of a hallway.

“Oh, no!” The little Gem cried anguishedly as they rounded a corner and saw a body huddled motionless on the floor in an active cell. John felt a stab of dread shoot through him as well, and they rushed over together; the red Gem stopped short with a frustrated “wait, it's just you!” while John kept running.

"Karkat!” John slid to a stop by the hunched over Gem, his hand already outstretched to free him.

“John?” Karkat sat up straight, staring at the half-Gem boy with wide eyes. He got as close to the barrier as he dared, hands up in an imitation of John. They hovered, the black Gem clearly knowing how much the barrier would hurt him if he touched it. “How the fuck did you get out?”

“Language!” The red Gem John found scolded Karkat; his legs were moving irritably, making him bounce in place. The black Gem scowled at him, but John snapped his fingers.

“It's easy!” He said brightly. “I'll show you. You can help us find the others!”

“You're fucking crazy!” Karkat snapped. The red Gem made a sound of disapproval, still jumping from one leg to the other. John pulled back a bit with a frown, which tugged on the skin around his eye.

“What do you mean?” He asked hesitantly.

“Why the hell are you freeing everyone?” Karkat shot back impatiently. “Do you have anything going through that giant ass circle you call a head?”

“Hey!” John frowned more. It hurt his face but he didn't know how else to show his displeasure with his friend. “What are you talking about? Why shouldn't we get out? Don't you want to fight back?”

“Why should we?” Karkat stood up and began pacing the floor in his little cell. “Look, numb nuts, I get you're only a kid, so let me make this real simple for you, ok?”

“I'm not that little!”

“Basically, they're taking us back to our world. Alternia.” Karkat squatted down in front of John again. “And once we’re there, HIC and all of her fucking authorities are going to decide what to do with us. And for most of us, that means a broken fucking Gem.” The red Gem stopped pacing and whipped around, staring up at Karkat in the same horror that was covering John’s face. Karkat smirked grimly, falling onto his butt with a sigh. “If we’re good and just do as they say, maybe they'll let us live. But we can't be fucking staging a coup and starting rebellious shit, ya hear? With all this new and advanced technology they have, they can do some pretty serious damage to us, you know. They're bad Gems.”

“Exactly!” John stood up, clenching his fist. “They're bad Gems! They hurt my friends. Look at my face! They did this to us. All three of them. And you don't want to fight?” Karkat didn't say anything, and the small Gem had stopped hopping; he was glancing worriedly between the two. John growled a little at the black Gem’s lack of compliance. “Look at me!” The Gem obeyed, and the boy continued. “We’re still close to Earth, I saw it. If we find the others, it would be five against three. The time to fight them is now! Can't you see that? We can beat them now if we work together!”

“Egbert…”

“Please, Karkat!” John cried. The Gem fell silent, wrapping his arms around his knees again. When he didn't move, John put his hand against the barrier. “At least let me get you out, Karkat.”

“How many times do I have to tell you,” Karkat began dully, without much emotion in his voice, “that my name isn't fucking Karkat, and you have to call me Hematite? I'm not one of your god damned Gems, Egbert. I don't have the will to blend in with your pathetic Earth life forms.”

The lights shut off again, plunging them into darkness for ten seconds before going on again. The red Gem whirled around, crimson eyes focusing on the flickering bulbs.

“Sodalite!” He cried, tugging at his hair. “John, please!” The Egbert watched his friend sadly for a moment, keeping his hand against the barrier and not noticing the tingling it sent up his hand.

“You'll change your mind, Karkat.” He said decisively as the red Gem took off. “Be careful though, ok? I'll come back for you later.” John turned and ran after the small Gem, shouting “hey, wait for me!”

Karkat lifted his head long enough to watch John turn the corner and disappear; then he shrunk into himself even more and sighed heavily.

John quickly lost track of the small red Gem; the little guy was fast and half his size, it wasn't really a surprise that he couldn't find him. Besides, he kept looking for ‘Sodalite’, and while he was searching for the tiny Gem’s other too, he was also looking for his friends. The hallways he found where nothing but cells, but they were all empty; he could tell by the lack of barriers. Without them, the whole ship was weirdly quiet. There wasn't even any humming of machinery, and John took care to keep his footsteps quiet just in case.

It paid off when he realized he heard raised voices coming down the hall. Panicking just a little, John ducked into an empty cell, pressing himself into the shadows against the wall. Right as he did so, he heard the furious voices of two of the Gems that had come to invade his town.

“You're not getting it!” One of the Fluorites, the one with the long hair and a robotic arm, was yelling at the other one. The other Fluorite looked almost bored, pulling an electric rope behind her. Following both of them, looking a combination of pissed off and worried, was a small blue Gem that was the same size as the red Gem John had found; his horns were similar to Cornelian’s, though a little smaller and moved an inch and a half inwards. He had the electrical rope around his neck, and it was hurting him a lot; despite the pain, though, he kept his head up defiantly.

“Fluorite 8448.” The taller Fluorite stopped, pushing the small Gem uncaringly into a cell and activating it almost unconsciously. Fluorite 8448 stopped short, glaring up a bit at her. Her impassive blue eyes raked over the smaller’s incensed form as she continued, “You agree that any knowledge on Kyanite is worth infinitely more than this little cluster experiment.”

“HIC charged me with a mission- - -“

“And now your mission is being overridden by a more important one.” She turned on the other and peered at her from the top of thick rimmed glasses. “Wouldn't you agree?”

“I don't know!” The younger Fluorite growled. “After all, you were part of the war against the rebellion and I wasn't. I don't care about Kyanite. There are other colonies I have to check the progress on after this, and this whole debacle is taking up much more time than I intended. I want to check this cluster and move on!”

"This ship is going back home and that's final.” The older Fluorite leaned forward a little. “You can come back to check on the damn cluster after we get this last group of Rebels home. Until then, you will do as I say. Is that understood?” She didn't seem to need an answer; as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she turned around and walked away.

John held his breath; one Fluorite had vanished, but the other one hadn't. She was trembling just a bit, and John was pretty sure it was because she was mad.

“‘Go to Earth’, they said.” She mumbled mutinously, her fists tightening with each word she spoke. “‘Take a sister Gem’, they ordered. ‘It'll be easy’, they told me.” She let out a furious yell and pivoted in place; a robotic fist came out of nowhere and slammed into the wall. John squeaked and ducked down a little, hunching in on himself more even though she hadn't seen him yet. Still muttering to herself, Fluorite 8448 stomped down the hall.

Waiting a few more seconds for the coast to be clear, John rushed out of the cell and instantly spotted the only functioning one. Without any hesitancy, he rushed over to see the small blue Gem in the corner of the cell.

“Are you Sodalite?” He asked quietly. The Gem’s head snapped up and he was on his feet in the next second.

“John?” He said. The small Gem sounded surprised. “How did you even get out?” The boy beamed and stuck his arm through the barrier, the electric wall parting harmlessly around his arm. The small Gem made a small noise of confusion as he slid out of the cell, but a distant ‘Sodalite!’ blocked any further conversation. “Let’s go!” The blue Gem took John’s hand and they raced down hallways until the half human spotted red out of the corner of his eye.

“Sodalite!” The Gem squealed as he caught sight of them.

“Cornelian!” The blue Gem sighed, but they raced towards each other nevertheless. As John followed sedately behind, watching them with a smile, they collided together and began whispering in earnest. Their hands were caressing each other’s faces and bodies, checking for any injuries.

“I don't!” Cornelian laughed, picking up Sodalite easily and holding him close. The blue Gem laughed as well, and they began spinning around and around and- - -

Fusion light blocked John’s vision momentarily, and when he put his hands down, it was to Beryl standing in front of him. The yellow Gem was laughing happily and holding himself, still spinning on one foot.

“You!” John fell on his butt trying to scramble backwards. Beryl stopped, still smiling brightly at him. John stopped trying to get away; the smile seemed to have transformed the stoic Gem into something much more friendly and inviting. His red and blue eyes shone with glee, even as he tried to tamp the smile down.

“Hey, man, thanks!” He reached down and pulled John easily to his feet. The half human boy stared up at him in shock and awe; he realized that Beryl’s horns were a combination of Cornelian and Sodalite’s, which was why Cornelian’s looked familiar.

“I've never seen a fusion all the time before!” He said, amazement coloring his voice. Beryl’s face flushed, the fused Gem looking to the side awkwardly, but John picked up his hand and inspected it. The appendage looked amazingly normal, which was a bit of a disappointment to John considering what Dirk and Roxy looked like when they fused, but they only fused every once in a while. This guy was a fusion all the time- - -literally every second of the day since John saw him until now- - -which, in the halfling’s opinion, was much much cooler. “You look so normal!” Something came to mind, and the boy looked up at the startled fusion with wide blue eyes. “Hey, I know Beryl doesn't think too much of me, probably. But the others? Do you think I made a good impression on them?”

“You freed Cornelian and Sodalite without too many questions, and you brought them back together, kid.” Beryl smiled down, ruffling John’s black hair with one hand. The halfling giggled and ducked away from the appendage, trying to flatten his hair just a bit. The Gem shrugged once when John looked up at him again hopefully. “They think you're pretty all right, for a Earthling.” John’s face split into a giant grin, which was almost instantly tampered into fear.

“Shit!” Fluorite's voice came from down the hall. It sounded like the taller one, the one with bobbed hair and thick glasses. John made a face, still a little weary of the female Gem that had head butted him in the face and given him a black eye. Beryl’s face took on a more serious look, but he still couldn't get rid of the smile completely.

“You should find your friends, kid.” He said urgently. “This is going to get real ugly real fast.”

“I don't know where they are, though!” John protested.

“They're two floors up, in the cells in the far back.” Beryl answered as Fluorite’s stomping feet got louder. John didn't move, and the blonde Gem gave him a gentle push in the direction he needed to go. “Go, kid, I'll take it from here.”

“Thanks, Sollux!” John called as he ran out. Beryl half turned, watching as the kid bounded away in confusion right until Fluorite’s voice caught his attention. Turning to face her, he felt Cornelian’s temper take over just a bit; Sodalite’s telekinetic powers were racing up to his elbows, blue up his right and red up his left. He wasn't particularly loyal to Alternia, given the small amount of time and the large amount of grief he got whenever it came to Cornelian and Sodalite’s fusing. But at the same time, he wasn't a rebel in any meaning of the word. He didn't care much for Earth, or the humans inhabiting it. He didn't even really like the Gems that lived on it now, mostly because of Hematite’s story.

But that kid was too fucking cute not to like, and he would be damned if Fluorite got to him again when they could have done something to stop it.

John followed Beryl’s instructions, heading up two floors without running into anyone else. There didn't seem to be a whole lot of Gems on the ship. The only ones he'd seen so far were the ones that had appeared on Earth. It was strange; the ship was definitely big enough to fit a whole army, but Alternia had only sent three people to come to Earth? They had to have known about the Gems on it; Karkat had left Earth to go back to Alternia, and had sent a message saying that Alternia had sent Gems back to Earth. Had it been because of them, or were they here for another reason?

He was so lost in though that he nearly ran past Dirk and Jake and Roxy. Sliding to a stop, John heaved a sigh of relief of finding his friends and guardians where Beryl- - -Sollux- - -had told him he would. Roxy was in a cell on her own side of the wall, huddled against the very far back of it with her knees to her chest and her eyes resting on the space ahead of her. Her vantage point put her in the perfect position to see both Jake and Dirk, who were given side by side cells along the same wall. They were both leaning against the connecting wall, one hand at their side and the other splayed against the wall as if it would disappear through the sheer force of their will. None of them looked hurt, though they all wore varying looks of distress.

“Guys!” John breathed, relief at having found them coursing through his tiny body. Now, he didn't have to worry about where they were or if they were ok. He didn't even have to think about how he was going to get back to Earth. The halfling had found Jake, Roxy, and Dirk; they would solve this for him.

“Johnny boy!” Jake cried from behind him as he scrambled to his feet. At the same time, Dirk gracefully stood and said simply, “little man!”

“John-John-Johnny!” Roxy stuttered in the same way she had before, when she'd discovered alcohol thanks to Dave and Rose and drank too much of it. John frowned, but her cheeks weren't flushed like that time. She had gotten to her feet and was swaying a bit, though, and she’d collapsed in a painful way in front of the barrier separating them. Roxy pushed her hands against the barrier, as if it had magically disappeared, and yelped in shock when she realized it hadn't. Giggling madly, she tilted her head to the side. “What're you doin-doi-doing, John?”

“I was going to get you out.” He said slowly.

“Don't mind Rox.” Dirk said. John turned to face the orange Gem; somewhere along the way, Dirk lost his pointy anime shades. His vibrant eyes, matching the shade of his gem, were distorted slightly by the barrier. Without his glasses, his worry for Roxy was plainer on his face because his eyes were so expressive. “The damn thing is toxic to Gems, and she spent most of her time trying to get out. She's not exactly in her right mind right now.”

“Is she going to be ok?” John asked.

“She’ll be fine kid.” Dirk said. “It fried her brain cells. Kinda like being drunk. She just needs a moment more to heal. She was worse a few minutes ago.”

“How are you free, John?” Jake finally managed to ask, kneeling in front of the barrier and looking at John. He managed to keep his glasses somehow, though the lenses were cracked and the frames bent just a little. John had the passing thought that they would have to take them to his dad so they could get fixed.

“Oh, yeah!” The blue halfling raced forward and shoved his arms through the barrier, much to the dismay of and shouts of protests from his Gems. Stepping forward, he aligned himself under the barrier so that Jake could get out safely. It meant that his whole body was under it, and Jake furrowed his brow as he crawled out without ever touching the painful shocks.

“Wow, John!” Roxy slurred as she clumsily mimicked Jake, collapsing in a heap just as she got out. Jake was instantly by her side, pressing a hand against her forehead; Roxy keened quietly, allowing the green Gem to hold her up and care for her.

“The hell?” Dirk muttered when John repeated it for him. He took a running start, sliding gracefully under John’s outstretched arms and hooking his hand around the boy’s clothes so that John was pulled by his momentum. The halfling collided with the orange Gem against the wall, but Dirk’s body took the brunt of it; he'd arranged them so that when they hit, Dirk’s back was against the wall and his arms were wrapped tightly around John’s body.

He hugged John to himself tightly, and for a moment nobody moved. John had his own arms wrapped around Dirk, his face in the taller Gem’s chest even as Dirk had his chin resting on John’s head. Then, another body was pressed against John, Roxy snuggling into his side and her face hiding in his shoulder. Jake hugged him from the other side, his head against Dirk’s shoulder and his face in John’s hair. There was a wetness that John couldn't place, coming from all three areas where his guardians were hiding, and he felt that maybe he shouldn't bring it up. Jake and Roxy wouldn't mind, but Dirk would get all weird about it.

They stayed in that moment for a few minutes, until the floor underneath them shook and a loud crashing noise echoed in the silence.

“Oh, right!” John pulled away, pretending not to notice as the Gems hastily wiped their faces. He pointed down. “One of the Gems that came here decided against taking us to Alternia. He's fighting Fluorite right now!”

“Should we go help him, or…?” Jake left the question open; it was Roxy who answered, sounding less slurred and more put together.

“I think he should be fine on his own. Right?” She directed it at John, who nodded hesitantly. Sollux wouldn't have taken Fluorite on if he couldn't handle her, right? Roxy winked at him, smiling reassuringly. “So we find out where we are. Get us to a control room, and get back to Earth.”

“We’re not too far!” John piped up. “I saw it in a window. It still looked pretty big. We can make it back!”

“So that's our plan.” Dirk stood up, drawing his sword out of his chest; there was another flash of light, and he had his pointy anime shades back on. Jake pulled his guns out of his hands, Roxy’s gauntlets glowing into reality on her command. The orange Gem pulled John onto his shoulders, balancing him on easily as the Gems took off running down the hall. John clung to Dirk’s head, eyes shut until he felt the orange Gem stop in the middle of the hall.

“Which way to the control room?” Jake asked. John glanced around, realizing that they were in another circular room with branching hallways. This one was different from the other one John saw with Cornelian; this one had no window, just hallways branching out in different directions. They looked down them without moving, not willing to be separated from each other but not knowing which direction to go down.

“This way!” Beryl- - -Sollux- - -appeared from a hallway to Roxy’s immediate left, sliding to a stop right in front of them.

Dirk reacted first, forgetting John was on his head and flash-stepping in front of the yellow Gem with red and blue eyes. His sword swung out, and Sollux just barely managed to duck under the slicing steel.

“Wait!” John scrambled down from Dirk’s shoulder, placing himself in front of the furious orange Gem. Belatedly he realized that it was a bad idea to leave Sollux open to the other two Gems; he compromised by throwing his arms around the yellow Gem, burying his face in Sollux’s chest.

“Get outta the wave-way, John!” Roxy growled, her gauntlet glowing with her rage. Jake’s gun was aimed at Sollux’s head, though his hand was trembling just a little. John focused on that; generally, he could always count of Roxy or Jake to be the ones he could appeal to.

“No, listen!” John explained, quickly, the situation that lead to what they assumed was an enemy Gem suddenly helping them. By the end of it, he was slightly out of breath, but his Gems looked less murderous and Sollux looked extremely grateful. John glanced up to smile at him, but paused. “Sollux, your eye!”

In the same spot as his own, Sollux’s eye had bruised over. In fact, he had multiple bruises on his face, and even his glasses were cracked.

“It's fine, kid, but we’ve got bigger stuff to be on our think pans.” Sollux brushed John’s worry off. Pointing to the hallway directly across from him, he said, “the control room is this way. You'll need my help to get in, but once you're inside then turning around will be simple.”

“And why help us?” Roxy asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at him. Sollux winced as he twisted around in John’s arms, raising an eyebrow. She said, to clarify, “I mean, you're an Alternian Gem. You know helping us is going to brand you a rebel. Why bother help us?”

“Look, now is not the time to deal with this!” Sollux snapped. “I've managed to detain the Fluorite in charge for right now, but she won't be held back for long. Not only that, but the other one is still on the loose somewhere. If you want to get home, then let's go!”

“Fine.” Dirk picked up John again, still aiming his sword at the yellow Gem. “One wrong move, man…”

“I know, I know.” He gestured down the hallway again. “Shall we?”

They ran down the hall, following Sollux though the maze-like ship. With his help, they reached the control room much faster than if they'd been on their own; Dirk even seemed to lose some of the tension he had in his shoulders at the sight of something that looked vaguely familiar. John slid down the length of Dirk’s body and looked around interestedly.

It wasn't too big of a room, which surprised John. There was an empty pilot’s seat, which Dirk took as he sat down and began examining the control panel. Sollux locked the door behind them, following Dirk’s lead and standing just to the side of the pilot chair. He began pointing at different buttons and lights, quietly and quickly explaining what they did.

“How’s your eye, John?” Roxy said quietly, kneeling down in front of the halfling. John reached up and pressed his fingertips to the side of his eye again, making a slightly pained face as he did so. She grimaced in sympathy, placing her hand on his head at the same time Dirk called for her help.

Jake took over as she stumbled over, though she looked much more on her feet than she had before. John watched as she and Dirk had a hushed conversation with Sollux, leaning against Jake. He felt immensely tired all of a sudden; there was nothing more John wanted than to go home and be with his father.

Something slammed into the door behind them, and everyone froze. Sollux was standing by Dirk’s side, and he half turned to face the door with narrowed eyes.

“BERYL!” A voice screeched, and Sollux’s telekinetics began buzzing up his arms.

“What is that?” Roxy asked in a hushed whisper.

“Fluorite 8448.” Sollux replied just as quietly. She slammed her metal hand into the door this time, the sound much louder than before; John scrambled away from the door, Jake following him quickly and keeping one pistol in his free hand. They made their way to the control panel, where Dirk’s hands were flying across the buttons while he turned the ship around.

“What's the plan?” Jake asked. The door began groaning as her metal arm pummeled it, pushing the metal inward.

“Dirk puts in the coordinates for earth.” Sollux said back. “Preferably the ones closest to where you guys live. Once they're in, we should immediately begin heading back. I'll take on Fluorite 8448, and hopefully she won't realize right away that we’re not heading the right way.”

“And if she does?” Roxy asked. Sollux shrugged a shoulder, not taking his eyes off the bending metal. John saw a gap forming in the door, getting wider every second; every so often, there were flashes of color. Black, from her hair, or a gleaming blue eye.

“I would need back up.” He said. “But the ship should stay on course. If need be, Dirk might need to manually steer.”

“Beryl!” Fluorite yelled; the metal screeched and was half open, and John could see her as she wound her arm up for one final punch. 

“Now!” Sollux yelled, throwing himself at the door just as it burst open; automatically, Jake and Roxy followed behind him. Fluorite 8448 was standing the the ruins of the demolished door, her arm glinting just as dangerously as her eye. A dark scowl covered her face, making her look absolutely murderous.

“And what, exactly, is going on here?!” She snarled dangerously. “You assholes are making everything worse!” Her arm swung out, her non metallic one, catching Sollux in the stomach and flinging him to the side. He slammed into the wall with a grunt and a crack; his psionics shot out harmlessly as she advanced on Jake and Roxy, picking her up and throwing her back out the door. 

“Roxy!” John cried, but Dirk reached out and pulled him to his side without breaking concentration. John could only watch, helpless, as Jake shot at Fluorite and she used her metal arm to deflect it. Bullets whizzed past John and Dirk, but the blue halfling summoned his shield and the bullets dropped to the ground harmlessly.

“What's the situation there?” Sollux picked up Fluorite using his psionics, and for a brief moment there was a respite to their fight. Fluorite snarled viciously, but Sollux just threw her into the wall hard enough to daze her. As she slid down, Roxy came stumbling in.

“Coordinates are in.” Dirk replied. “Just doing some manual steering for the moment.”

“We could use your help, Dirk!” Roxy snapped. Her voice wasn't as twitchy as it had been before, but she still missed when she swung at Fluorite.

“I just need to get us into Earth’s atmosphere.” Dirk sounded vaguely frustrated. “Gravity will do the rest, if only- - -”

“No!” Fluorite managed to get to her feet; Roxy missed hitting her again, but Jake hit her metal arm with one shot. It jolted her back, and allowed Sollux to wrap his psionics around her. Growling, she turned towards him and John watched in a morbid fascination as the iris in her left eye spun. Sollux’s entire body tensed up, a weird symbol appearing on his forehead.

“Stop…” He said quietly, his voice weak. He sounded strangely like Cornelian, less like himself. His whole body trembled, almost as if Fluorite was trying to force them to break apart.

“Release me now, Sodalite.” Fluorite said. Her voice was quiet too, but it was a dangerous sort of quiet. One that promised a lot of pain if she wasn't given what she was asked.

“We’re almost there!” Dirk leaned on the controls as if it would make the ship go faster. John watched as Sollux’s hands twitched randomly; he was fighting against whatever Fluorite was doing, but it was clearly hard on him to do so. His tremors were weakening, and his psionics had almost completely disappeared.

“Stop!” John cried. Without thinking, he threw his shield; it hit Fluorite in the head at the same time one of Jake’s bullets, and she dropped like a stone. She hit the ground, Sollux’s psionics giving out at the same time she did. He fell to his knees, and John ran over to him; picking up his shield as he did so, John used it as a cover in case she got up again. It wouldn't prevent her from seeing him, but it would deflect any attack she tried to use in retaliation.

He hoped, anyway.

“Thanks, kid.” Sollux’s voice was weak sounding, but he sounded more like himself than he did a few minutes ago. John let him put his hand on his shoulder, allowing the yellow Gem to use him as a support to stand fully again. Shaking his head once, Sollux let out a warning cry as Fluorite shakily lunged at Dirk.

“Shit!” Dirk scrambled away from Fluorite and the control panel, using his sword to keep himself protected from her robotic arm; it had swung out and he narrowly avoided being smacked across the face with the help of his reflexes and weapon. He vaulted over the chair, sliding to a stop by the rest of the Gems and John. Sollux ran past him running the opposite way, throwing himself on top of the blue Gem.

“Sollux, wait!” John cried, but Dirk held him back with one hand as the yellow Gem landed on Fluorite 8448- - -hard- - -something cracked loudly over the sound of the fight, and the control panel was suddenly sparking.

The ship took an immediate downward angle; Dirk had succeeded in getting them back into Earth’s atmosphere and, just like he'd predicted, gravity was doing the rest of the work. Unfortunately, it wasn't a controlled descent like the orange Gem had planned, so that he could ensure they would get back home in one piece.

Instead, the ship spiraled slowly as they flew downwards; they were barely keeping themselves standing properly, though it didn't seem to deter Sollux and Fluorite 8448 from continuing their fight. As they slammed each other into whatever they crashed into- - -Sollux was thrown into the wall, he gripped Fluorite’s throat and slammed her into the chair Dirk had abandoned, she kicked him into the edge of the control panel and forced her knee into his stomach- - -the Gems were holding onto each other, keeping John in the middle of the three of them in order to make sure he didn't get anymore injured than he already was.

When the front of the ship in front of the control panel caught fire from their descent, the room started getting unbearably hot. It didn't deter the two fighting Gems, but John could see the side of Dirk’s face pale. Roxy’s arms around him tightened, and he knew what they were thinking:

There was no way to ensure they would all hit the Earth alive.

But there was! John scrambled up a bit, just enough to free his arms. Just as he was about to throw his arms out to form his protective bubble, he saw a flash of black from Fluorite’s hair and remembered- - -

“We have to get Karkat, he's alone and scared!” John squirmed a bit, but Jake clamped his arms around his legs.

“There's no time!” He yelled back.

“Then Sollux, we can't just- - -” The yellow Gem in question was still struggling against Fluorite 8448, trying to use his psionics in his favor, but she wasn't allowing him a chance to. Every one of his attempts was thwarted by her robotic fist to his face. It was now so swollen that he barely resembled the aloof Gem he was when he first appeared; the anger and determination in his heterochromatic eyes was so different from the emptiness that had been there before.

“John, if you're going to bubble us, now is the time to do it!” Dirk roared. John flinched back, his eyes gathering tears as he glanced again at Sollux. Shutting them tightly and ignoring how it forced the liquid out of his eyes, John bubbled the four of them. Dirk turned away from the fight, secure in the knowledge that John’s bubble would protect him, and he held Roxy and Jake close; the movement brought all three Gems as close to John as they could be to protect him while still allowing him to bubble them safely. John’s arms trembled from holding them straight out, but he was warmly cocooned between his Gems.

There was a groaning sound, loud enough to overpower Fluorite 8448 and Sollux’s fight, and then the sound of wind rushing through where the control panel had been; the sounds of their fight were gone. John shook his head, not wanting to believe what he couldn't hear: they were both gone, lost to the air as the ship fell apart around them. There was more groaning, more crashing as the ship self-destructed. Dirk put his hands over John’s ears, but it didn't muffle anything as well as he'd hoped. John could still hear the ship falling apart around them, and with it, the loss of the Gems that were more on his side than on Alternia’s.

John cried.

Quickly, so quickly he didn't even have time to register how, they crashed into the beach. The ship blew apart, flying into different sections in a mass of fire and metal. John held his arms out more forcefully, willing the bubble to hold as what ship was around them crashed into the top of their shield. He didn't think about Sollux or Karkat, just focused on protecting his Gems; the ones that had raised him, the ones closest to him.

When they were certain that the ship had all landed, Dirk stood up as best as he could in the bubble. Placing one hand on the underside of the bubble, he strategically put it so that when John released, he would catch the part of the ship covering them. At his signal, John dropped his arms and leaned against Roxy, feeling emotionally drained. The pink Gem wrapped her arms around him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. She was cooing into his ear, saying how proud she was of him and what a great job he did keeping them all safe.

John wouldn't admit it, but when she did, he closed his eyes and pretended it was his mother.

“You did good, John.” Dirk murmured over Roxy’s mothering.

“We even landed near home.” Jake said as Dirk stood up straight. The sun was almost blinding, and only the orange Gem seemed to be handling the additional sunlight well. He glanced towards Dirk, giving him a smile Jake only seemed to reserve for the orange Gem. “Good job, Dirk.”

The three of them stood up as well, climbing over the rubble to a fairly clean space on the beach. Wincing just a bit at the state of the sand, they stood in silence for a moment before they heard something behind them.

John whirled around, hoping that Karkat was coming out ok. It was a foolish hope, he knew, but he couldn’t help it; John had lost Sollux, but surely Karkat knew to keep himself safe for when they landed back on earth.

Instead, it was one of the Fluorites; not the one with the robo arm, but the one with glasses and bobbed hair. She scrambled to her feet, all sense of dignity lost in the aftermath of the crash. Her face was set in a terrifying scowl, and it darkened even more when she caught sight of John and the Crystal Gems.

“You!” She took a trembling step forward, and her left eye glowed brightly. Dirk drew his sword again, his lips twitching just a bit as he did so. The Fluorite took another step forward, lifting her hand. “I will get you back to Alternia. Her Imperial Condescension will learn of Kyanite’s existence!”

“That old rock doesn't need to learn anything!” Dirk snapped.

“Do you think you can take me on, Topaz?” She grinned maniacally. Dirk opened his stance, tightening his grip on his sword. The Fluorite laughed. “You couldn't take me on your own before, what makes you think you can now?”

“He’s not fighting alone this time!” Jake stepped up beside Dirk, holding out his guns. His face was set in a scowl, eyes darker than John had ever seen.

“You think you can beat the three of us together?” Roxy asked, coming to Dirk’s other side. The Fluorite’s eyes narrowed in distaste. She eyed all three of them, and for the first time, John could tell that his guardians were otherworldly. Roxy’s and Jake’s eyes were, respectively, pink and green without any pupils, like the Fluorite’s and Sollux’s and Karkat’s; John was sure that, were Dirk not wearing his shades, his eyes would be looking pure orange as well. Their gems were glowing, softly at first but getting stronger as they stood together.

“Apart, yes.” Fluorite sneered. She tossed her hair in disdain. “But if you're going to fuse? Then I won't stand a chance and you know it. Why not make it a fair fight?”

“Alternia’s never given us a reason to play fair.” Roxy said. Her gauntlets glowed a bit. “And you haven't either. If we can take you down together, we will. Surrender.”

Fluorite opened her mouth, but Karkat chose that moment to appear. He was coughing, trying hard to get out from the wreckage that had been his cell. He was cut up and his clothes were torn, but for the most part, the black Gem looked like he was ok. It was relief that made John’s voice catch in his throat, but they hadn't been the only ones to notice Karkat coming out and landing on the beach.

“Hey, Hematite!” The Fluorite grabbed a hold of the black Gem’s arm as he tried to scurry away. He grunted in pain, struggling to get away even as she pulled him closer.

“Karkat!” John cried, taking a couple of steps forward. Roxy and Jake put their arms in front of him to stop him, watching the scene unfold. Dirk was behind him, hand poised over his own gem preparing to pull his weapon out.

“Let go of me!” Karkat growled, trying to get away. Fluorite wrapped her free arm around his waist, keeping him flush against her. “What the fuck?”

“Fuse with me.” She purred. Karkat was so surprised, he stopped struggling. Even Dirk took a step back, his mouth dropping open in shock. The crackling of fire from the ship was the only sound for a long moment.

“What?” He screeched.

“Come on, Hematite, fuse with me!” Karkat turned his head to look at John, but she grabbed a hold of his chin and turned his gaze towards her own blue one again. Her voice turned compelling as she cooed, “these traitors don't deserve to live! Look at how they've treated their own! Don't you remember being held captive by them?”

“Karkat, no!” John cried; Karkat had dropped his chin minutely, his bottom lip going into his mouth. Fluorite released him, her bobbed hair flowing slightly in the wind as she watched the black Gem’s thought process. He turned to glance at them again, biting down hard on his lip; his teeth were sharp and if he had been more human-like, blood would have come dripping down his chin.

“We only need to fuse long enough to take them down.” Fluorite’s voice was silky smooth and low, but it carried even to where John was with his Gems. He whined in his throat, but the sound was lost to Fluorite’s “Take your revenge for keeping you locked away all those years. Fuse with me, Hematite.”

Karkat glanced at John again, who was shaking his head.

Without saying a single word, Hematite held out his hand; palm up, he offered it to Fluorite, whose smile turned so feral she looked animalistic.

Ignoring John’s anguished cry, Fluorite grabbed hold of Hematite’s hand so roughly it caused the black Gem to wince. She didn't notice, leading him quickly through the dance that would fuse them together. Right as he dipped her, just before they began to glow and fuse, Fluorite shot the Gems a darkly triumphant look.

Then fusion took hold; their form grew and grew, spreading outward. Four legs on each side, slamming down into the ground to hold them up. Two sets of arms, bursting out from the combined gems that formed the body, then the head and a shock of hair.

John and his Gems were looking up in horror.

They towered over them, laughing maniacally. John could see Karkat’s gem, gleaming black and smooth right in the center of their chest surrounded by Fluorite’s blue skin. Their legs were blue and black striped, as were their arms. They had Fluorite’s short, bobbed hair flying in a chaotic mess, but Hematite’s black colored strands. There were only two eyes, one a vibrant blue and the other a stormy black, and Fluorite’s gem gleamed brightly from underneath blue-tinted bangs.

As the Gems stood frozen, they laughed again and threw out one arm, their other hands clenching together into three giant fists. The ground shook beneath them, even though they weren't moving, and John could feel everything getting warmer and warmer; they were using Hematite’s lava powers to call the bubbling liquid forth, because they were trying to destroy the city itself. The ground cracked open, and finally the Gems moved; Jake picked up John easily, throwing him onto his shoulders so that he was safely out of the way of the lava. Dirk pulled out his weapon, fighting position at the ready. Roxy only had one gauntlet on, but her face was set in a stern kind of determination John had never seen before.

Just as the lava bubbled up from the floor, oozing in crimson around the Hematite-Fluorite fusion’s feet, something shocking happened: it formed into a manacle and clamped itself around two of their legs.

“What?!?” They roared, rearing up. Fluorite’s voice overpowered Karkat’s, though John could still hear a little bit of his friend in there. Karkat was proving that while he wasn't in full control of the fusion, he still had a great amount of control with his element. The lava clamped itself around the opposing two legs easily, but the other two pairs were not being so easy to hold down. “What the hell do you think you're doing?” Fluorite’s voice, while mingled with Karkat’s, had been the most prominent in their fusion. Now John could hear more of Karkat as he snarled and finally answered her.

“I'm ending this right fucking now!” The lava finally surged upward with a big burst of bubbles, hardening instantly onto the remaining legs and yanking them down. The earth directly underneath them began to crack, and they began sinking into the ground. Lava surged upwards once more, still bubbling and clamping down hard on both sets of hands with much more ease than it had captured their legs. The ground was quickly crumbling underneath them as Karkat directed the lava down, pulling them closer and closer to the Earth’s core to get them away from John and the Gems.

“Karkat, wait!” John screamed, leaning over Jake’s head and reaching out for the fusion.

“Don't do this!” Fluorite’s voice was lost as the majority of their body was underground. Their hands were scrambling to catch purchase, but as they were on the beach and there was nothing but sand, there was no where to hold on tight. There was a heart stopping moment when Fluorite gained enough movement to swing their arm out to attempt one last hit on the Gems, but it was aborted before it even got to close to them. Fluorite’s voice came again, but it was nothing but a short scream as her attempts were continually thwarted. They were still struggling, but it was quickly becoming clearer and clearer that anything they did to free themselves was in vain. In their fusion, Fluorite was quickly losing the battle for control.

“I'm so fucking sick of being a goddamned prisoner everywhere I go!” Karkat’s voice roared from their shared mouth. In a last, desperate break, Fluorite tried to unfuse them; their features shifted and churned, nearly becoming two separate people before Karkat forced them back together. They were up to their shoulders now, only their neck and head remaining above ground. Lava whipped around them; Fluorite was trying to lash out at the Gems one last time using the black Gem’s powers, and Karkat was directing the lava away from harming anyone around them. Splatters of it rained around the Gems and John, but not a single drop of it managed to hit any of them. Karkat was doing an exceptional job of keeping them safe while forcing their fusion to stay together and drag them down. “I'm keeping you as my prisoner!”

“No!” Just as they went under, their gaze locked solely on John. Even though their voices were merged, the boy could still hear Karkat’s voice as he said one final thing before disappearing underground.

“I'm so fucking sorry, Egbert.”

The ground swallowed them up, and formed perfectly again. There was no indication that they had ever stood fused together, save for the fact that John and the Gems couldn't stop staring at the freed space. Fire cackled around them, and there was still debris from the ship falling with loud creaks and crashes into the sand. Lava was still bubbling where it had landed on the beach, though without the powered Gem there to keep it flowing, it was rapidly cooling and hardening.

It wasn't until John’s phone went off that any of them moved.

“Hello?” He said numbly into the receiver.

“John?!?” Jade’s voice was panicked, nearly breaking in worry. “I just got your message! What's going on? Are you guys ok? What's happening?”


End file.
